Loyal staff worth the effort (Editorial)

Engagement isn't a replacement for loyalty

By John Hobel

11/06/2006|Canadian HR Reporter|Last Updated: 11/01/2006

Engaging employees is all the rage these days. Engagement is all about developing a workforce that is committed to the task at hand. Tracking employee engagement is a step up from earlier employee satisfaction surveys. It has come to employers’ attention that while one wants employees to be happy, one can’t assume productivity flows from such contentment. Many employees are happiest when they’re doing nothing.

So let’s get them happy and engaged.

But what about loyalty? Some HR watchers would say this is too much to ask for. The thinking is that loyalty’s just not something employers are likely to get today. It’s all due to a younger generation who watched their parents’ loyalty be rewarded with downsizings while executive pay climbed.